Desert Star
by Blue Quills
Summary: No one said that finding the truth was easy, Ishtar will learn that the mystery behind her parents deaths has always been by her side.
1. Chapter 1

Title: _Desert Star_

Fandom: _Assassin's Creed  
_Genre:_Romance, Action and Adventure_  
Rated: _M (for some gore and Mature scenes)  
_Disclaimer: _I do not own assassin's creed,  
Ishtar however is a product of my creativity._

_**Summary: **No one said that finding the truth was easy, Ishtar will learn  
that the mystery behind her parents death has always been by her side. _


	2. Dreams

Chapter 1 – Dreams

_Footsteps…_

_I quickly clamped my mouth with my hands as my mother told me so a few minutes ago, I had rather wished to stop myself from hearing over trying not to scream, the yelling and screams of the town made my head and body delirious, I felt like the whole room was moving, yet, also on fire._

_Something flashed in front of me while I was hiding under my parents bed, a hand, and In that hand…blood was rolling down, like water drops falling on the floor._

'_momee' I called out to my mother, I was certain that it was her hand, her tender hand…that now bloodied hand, more tears streamed down my checks, muffled cries could be heard, but what I had wished more that precise moment was not to be heard._

_Too bad, I was wrong._

_Rough hands grabbed me from my ankles' and violently pulled me out from my hiding place, what I saw was red, a cross maybe, who knows, it was an instant before I felt the piercing pain from a knife in my arm and screams filled the room-_

"AAAH!" 

I snapped my eyes open, blinking rapidly in order to adjust my eyes to the dim light in the room; I tried to take hold of the sheets around me as hard as could, my breathing running faster, my throbbing headache, all for that damned dream.

"Ishtar? Are you alright?" I hear from the now half open door in my room, Kalila my childhood friend spoke.

I composed my face and looked at her "I am well Kali, it was just a dream" I said to her with that fake smile I had learn to do from years before, she looked concerned of course, who better to know my real self than Kalila, but nevertheless she nodded her head in affirmation, knowing that I wanted my privacy and closing the door softly, she left.

I could hear her footsteps entering the room besides mine, '_well of course she heard me, she is right next to me', _I breathe heavily not wanting to go back to sleep, instead I stepped out of my bed and went the chest located near my window, I opened it and took out a pair of daggers and touched the guild's design on them.

Master Al Mualim gave them to me when I turned 9, he said that they would bring me fortune and courage when that day arrived , I knew what day he meant, but one thing would I always ask myself, how would killing those who murdered my parents bring me fortune, courage I knew I had, or did I? To look into the killer's eyes and end his life? To tell the truth…I was not sure anymore. As my senses picked up movement outside, I quickly hugged with my back the wall and peered outside.

A dark figure was making its way towards the building, I narrowed my eyes at it, and he or she stopped. The clouds hiding tonight's full moon spread, sparing the moon a few seconds to light the scene. 

Him.

"Altair…" I breathe, as if he heard me, he looked up to my window and I quickly crouched down.

'_Stupid Ishtar, now he knows you were watching'_ I scolded myself, I slowly started to stand, kneeling, I peered out once again, this time there was no sight of him, he had vanished.

I glared at the spot where he was standing seconds ago, we have been living in the same roof for fourteen years, and yet, I have only seen him five or six times.

Always with a hundred meters between us.

There was one time I got to see him up close, I think I was thirteen and he was just coming back from a mission, I was sitting in the entrance talking with Kalila, telling her about that new move Master Muhab had taught me that morning, Altair swiftly walked past us without a single word and entered the castle's doors, because of the hood he always wears, I could only see his lips…oh but what amazing lips! Kalila had to pinch me in the arm because I was somehow caught up in a trance, mind you it was very embarrassing for me, but quite amusing for my female companion.

There was still a silent question always in my mind, how on earth could this unhealthy fascination for this Master Assassin begin in the first place? 

"Hmph…must be the whole mysterious air around him" I thought out loud, I rolled my eyes at my ridiculous answer. "I guess I'll take a bath before the sunrise" with that I stood up from my spot and headed for the bathroom, not before tripping with my own foot and ending faced down with a 'thud' in the floor.

"Dammit!" 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2 – Crushing Invasion.

* * *

The History of Masyaf would take some time to tell, it is locate in Syria as one of its cities with a large castle at the end of the town, that castle is Headquarters to the Assassins, a Guild were many of the members are given missions to seize or aid a country or group, it has no religion nor they pledge loyalty to any nation, their elements are neutral, and the decisions of acts are made out of knowledge and observation. It does not have to be an assassination, but the retrieving of ancient or holy artifacts lost over the years or important documents that might be used for information, there are still laws that each and every one of the assassins must live by.

_Still your blade from the flesh of the innocents._

_Always remain subtle._

_Never endanger the brotherhood_

Today we had quite the dilemma in our hands.

It was not long after the sunrise that I heard the Infiltration alert, a group of crusaders got hold of information about our headquarters and were now on our tails, all the assassins where to protect the castle and aid the villagers so that they could gather inside, although the village was small in population there was Panic and chaos everywhere, Masyaf had never encounter a problem such as the one at hand in centuries, so they were all scattered around doing what they could, but who was going to buy us time while everyone was preparing for the attack since the village's defenses would not hold?, I quickly went to the Castle's doors and saw Muhab, one of my instructors, talking to a man that by the way he wore his hood must be Altair, he nod something to Muhab before he started to run towards the village's direction.

'_Where was he going?'_ I asked myself, I decided to walk faster to where Altair was standing before and grabbed Muhab's shoulder as he turned to me with an expression of annoyance.

"What is it?! You're supposed to be tending to the villagers that come in!" he exclaimed at me and quickly glanced towards the direction Altair had gone off too.

"Where is Altair going?"

"He is going to buy us time, the crusaders are already breaching the village's defenses" he turned around to shout at another man, trying to take more information out of him I putted more pressure in Muhab's arm so that I had his full attention; he of course snapped at me, took my hand off his arm and pushed me until I stumbled into the wall behind.

"LOOK YOU WILL GO AND HELP KALILA WITH THE VILLAGERS, YOU ARE NOT TO COME NEAR THIS DOOR AGAIN, YOU HEAR?" he screamed in my ear, yes he was always like this, what I had to endure in his training was nothing less than being squashed like a cockroach, but he didn't scare me nor have I fail him in any of the training so I didn't comply.

"I want to go help him!" I said louder, my voice not sounding as high like his but I thought it might get him to reconsider, yet no success.

"I know you like him, because you always ask about him, but I don't have time to listen about your duty to your crush, besides you are not ready, now go back" he said menacing and finally giving me a last push he retreated to his post were he would guard until the elders gave him the order to attack.

My right eye twitched when he said that, really.

'Okay, so he won't help me...Kali won't do either…and no I can't ask Master Al Mualim to let me go, he would rather send me to be punished with the whip', I grimaced at the latter, I was running out of ideas and the only weapon I was really good at was the bow. I looked at my surrounding, and notice the wall near the fencing grounds, it was cracked all over.

I smirked.

Making sure I was not seen, I dissemblingly walked towards it, checking to see if I was being watched, I saw that all the villagers were more preoccupied in calming their families and the guards and other assassins were preparing for the attack or keeping close watch towards the gate's direction, I saw that the cracks in the wall had left some kind of small stairs but they didn't go all the way up, so I out my daggers, backtracked a few steps, and run to the wall, making a jump when touching the first step and nailing the daggers on the wall, I kept pulling myself with the daggers and pushing my body weight with my feet until getting to the top, I looked up and saw that I only had to extend my arm to reach the wall's edge, which I did without taking too much time.

When I was on the top, I noticed that I was not the only one there; an assassin had his back towards me guarding his post, I panicked when he started to turn, looking for a quick escape, I looked down to the other side of the wall and saw a bale of hay, I jumped and hide there. Peeking outside to see if I was seen, I noted that the assassin looked to be oblivious, he once again turned to the other side where he was staring at the beginning, and so I took my chance to get out and run for it.

* * *

I finally got to the town's square, where the well was located, I saw at the distance seven men that looked to be crusaders, chasing the villagers that were running towards me, taking the advantage of the crowd, I slipped in one of the alleys.

I entered an open house and went directly to the stairs, which would take me to the roof, already there I positioned myself where I could not be seen, I searched through the crowd specially for Altair, I immediately took out my bow and arrow when I saw one crusader ready to kill a man who was what it looked to be his small son, I had not time to waste.

"Common…" I bravely told myself, I had to kill him, I always thought killing a person was going to be easy, I was being train to do so, but I was wrong. I took a deep breath and narrowed my eyes at him.

Instead of killing him I shot the arrow to his right leg, it hit the ankle, I breathe in relived when the distraction made the man and his son escape, the crusader had fallen to the ground in pain, but it was not over, he started to look for his attacker while grabbing at his injured ankle, and soon enough spotted me.

I was stupid enough to not hide quickly, because before I knew it, the crusader had screamed words I did not recognized, that made other crusaders appear in matter of seconds, the fallen one quickly pointed at my direction and they started to come in the building I was in. The only way for them to come for me was the stairs, which was also my only escape route. Aware that many of the building were close to each other, I started to run as fast as I could, and jumped the first building; I did the same with three other buildings, I looked back to see if I was still being follow, and to my horror they were at least fifth-teen feet of distance from me, to be honest I didn't think this crusaders were this fast, I kept on going till I came to a half, the next building was so far, that not even a miracle would help me jump to it, and if I didn't reach it …it would be my end.

Looking back again towards my pursuers, I took my choice.

"Anything its better than die at their hands" I whispered so I turned back to where the far building was, and leaped towards it, trying to extend my arms in order to reach it, I was almost there.

"Reach..!" my fingers reached the edge, but slipped for the lack of strength, out of instinct I closed my eyes and waited the inevitable death.

But it did not come.

I felt my arms being caught, I was a afraid that it was the crusaders who had caught me, so that they could torture me slowly, I did not want to open my eyes, and see the truth, but let's face it, your body members sometimes don't obey your wishes. I opened my eyes and saw not but a Crusader, but someone that made my heart skips a beat.

Altair.

"Hang on to me" his velvet voice said, I did what he said, I don't know how I did what he said since I thought I was still in a trance, looking up again, and saw danger behind him.

"Behind you!" I yelled, his instincts responded fast, letting one of my arms go and sending knifes at his attacker, again taking my other arm since I was beginning to slip.

"Thanks" he responded with a short smile, he finally pulled me up and gestured me to run towards the castle, which was 50 meters from our location, I followed him, and soon enough we were almost at the gates, I gulped at what I saw, right there in the gates whas Al Mualim, he stare at me with a unreadable expression, I knew I was going to get it big after all this was over, I silently passed besides him and entered the castle along Altair, and then Muhab came to running to us and grabbed me forcefully by the hair.

"WHAT DID I TELL YOU?! YOU WERE TO STAY HERE!"

"OW! Watch it!" I shriek trying to take his hand off me, Altair was the one who pull Muhab away.

"Now it's not the time to be scolding at her, you will have the time to do so later my friend" He put a reassuring hand on my instructor, Muhab gave me one last look.

"You have dig your own grave girl" he said slowly, he then directed himself to Altair, motioning to follow him.

I glared at Muhab's retreating form, 'how rude!' I thought, I wanted too much to bash his head with something, maybe I should buy one of those big sticks that old lady in town was selling.

"Pffst…treating me like a child, how absurd" I said.

"Well, you are a child in his eyes" I heard Kalila say, I stopped walking and looked at her, Kalila greeted me with a skeptical face that I knew all too well after all this years, she was pissed alright.

"Uh…Kali...I can explain" I started to say but she stopped me.

"Forget it, we have more important things to do right now" with that she tossed me a sponge and a bucket. "go clean the wounds of the hurt, take that side, I am taking this one" she went to work to her side, and I knew very well that I was going to have it not big but VERY BAD after this was over.

"Now I am scared" I whimpered.

Hours later the infiltration was stopped by Altair, when he released the logs of wood, killing most of the Crusaders and the rest escaped, later Al Mualim called Altair to the gate, and proceeded to punish him, reason was that all the mess was in part his fault, he was also stripped of his status of Master assassin and was lower to Novice, he had to now prove Al Mualim that he was loyal, by scaling yet again the status blocks of the assassins.

Al Mualin did not let me go unpunished either, who does not pay attention to his rules or does not obey their instructors they are severely punished, and me being the favorite of his students was not an exception, you can guess right, he commanded for me to be send to the whip.

* * *

Thanks to my reviewers:

Alyssa Raven: you bet it is, his lips are one of the things, that I at least pay attention too much in the game anyways. Thanks for the review!

Estrella Nuvola: please do!.O see! I updated! Theheh, I try to keep the reviewers always happy. Thanks!

Aeron20: thank you!

Gaignun Girl: O.O that was quick! Cookies for Estrella and you! thank you so much for the review!

The inspiration of a writer are mostly their readers, don't forget to review each time you read a story you really like, I sure do get more inspire with all this wonderful words!

Blue Quills.


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